Meet You There
by ficwriter4
Summary: convincing was just a fancy word for pretending, and Peyton Sawyer was an expert at pretending to be ok. Leyton after 505


**So I know that I have been completely slacking in updating my stories, and I am sorry! But my muse has kind of been gone recently. This was something that I started to write a few months ago, and came across it and decided to finish it. It's my version on another way Lucas and Peyton could have gotten back together after their first proposal.**

**Everything is pretty much the same, except that Brooke never moved to New York. Enjoy!**

The invitation came in the mail the same day Peyton had quit her job. She couldn't be sure if it was a sign of where to go next in her life, or if it just was merely coincidence.

She recognized Haley's graceful handwriting immediately and knew what the envelope held. She pulled the card out as she shut her apartment door behind her. Her fingers ran along the blue and yellow striped invite, and she couldn't stop from smiling at the picture of the dimpled boy, which sat in the center. Her curls bounced from side to side as she shook her head at his tie and suit that he looked proud to be wearing. Haley had emailed her a month ago sharing the details of how Jamie wouldn't take off the outfit for three weeks, and when he finally did, it was because he wanted to wear a cape.

"_Superheroes don't wear ties when they're saving people, Mommy."_ He told her intelligently.

The fifth birthday party of James Lucas Scott was to be held in two weeks at the Scott residence. The residence that was located in Tree Hill; a town that Peyton hadn't been back to for two years now. Brooke constantly told her that she was avoiding the "ghost of Lucas past", yet Peyton always found a way to come up with a new excuse. Her work load was way too heavy, she was visiting her Dad for Thanksgiving, she didn't have the money to make a flight; yet every time she explained what was preventing her from attending an event between her old friends, she was always trying to block out his face. It was true; the ghost of Lucas past was haunting her.

And she hated every second of it.

After he left her in that hotel room, which ironically held a picture of blue skies that she could only think were meant to symbolize a bright future, Peyton had slowly began to convince herself that she didn't need him. She didn't need his soothing words of encouragement, she didn't need his trademark squint, or inherited Scott smile, and she certainly did not need those kisses that always left her breathless no matter if it was already thousandth time their lips met. But convincing was just a fancy word for pretending, and Peyton Sawyer was an expert at pretending to be ok.

A breath of air escaped her lips as she walked into her small one bedroom apartment. The day had been another long one, filled with fetching coffee for jackass agents, and getting hit on by creepy bosses. And the big climax came when she finally walked into his office and told him that she wouldn't be coming back.

Her long legs gave out as she fell on top of her bed. The fan above released a wave of air that hit her exposed skin. Her lids closed over her eyes, and she attempted to shut out the sounds of cars and horns coming from outside of her window. But her escape was interrupted by the lyrics of Jack's Mannequins, "Dark Blue" echoing from the cell phone, which lay in her hand.

She groaned and flipped open the phone, and let out a grouchy, "Hello?"

"Well hello to you too, P. Crabby Pants." Peyton couldn't help but let out a snicker at the sound of Brooke's raspy voice. "Long day?"

"You could say that." She responded lazily while her finger traced imaginary images on her comforter.

"Please share the details with me. I love hearing the horror stories of my working-class friends." They both laughed at the joke that the two friends commonly used, playing on Brooke's money and successful clothing line.

Peyton sat up and moved back against her pillows, "Well I don't think that unemployment falls into the same category as working-class."

"What?! Peyton Sawyer, what did you do?"

"I quit."

Brooke sighed, "Oh P."

That was all the explanation that Peyton knew she would have to give Brooke. They both knew how much the job was not what Peyton wanted. She wasn't happy there, as much as she would try, she knew she would never be able to achieve it because she saw what people like her turned into in the music business: jackass agents.

"You know I'm proud of you, right?" Peyton smiled, if there was one person who wanted her to quit, it was Brooke, "and you deserve to have a job that makes you happy, not even more broodier." Peyton let out a small laugh at the old reference, but it really only made her think of one thing; something she was not in the mood for right now.

"Speaking of, do you have any idea of what you want to do next?"

"Dude, it hasn't even been a day." She responded impatiently.

"I know, I know. But! I do have an idea of what you could do now…"

"Brooke…" She had a vague idea of where this conversation was heading.

"A certain little boy is turning five. And I know he would love for you to be there." Brooke's tone was pleading, but gentle.

Peyton sighed, "I don't know Brooke."

And the truth was, she really didn't know. A large part of her was craving to be back in Tree Hill, especially after the long day she just had; nothing sounded better than being home. But another very large part of her was scared. Scared that the memories of the past, that the town held were going to be way too much for her to handle.

"He's going to be there." The whisper came out barely audible, but Brooke heard it loud and clear.

"Who? You mean Lucas? Yea, maybe… I hadn't even really thought about that."

Peyton let out a snort, "Yea… right."

Brooke groaned, "Peyton, we've talked about this. You cannot avoid your ghost of Lucas past forever. And what's a better time to face it than at the celebration of an adorable little boy? Which is what you have too keep thinking of: Jamie."

So even as she boarded her plane from LAX two weeks later, and took her seat next to Brooke, she kept trying to picture Jamie. But she knew that she was just convincing herself that this trip was all about Jamie, when she knew that in fact it was about another Scott with blue eyes. It had always been about him. And Peyton's biggest fear was that it always would be.

* * *

Lucas let himself into the Scott family household, just as he usually did. He was greeted with streamers and colorful children decorations. It was the morning of Jamie's birthday party, which the little boy didn't seem to forget. Jamie had reminded Lucas about the party everyday for the past two weeks. Lucas smiled at the thought of his growing nephew who was going to be five years old. He couldn't believe that that much time had passed, and sometimes was convinced that this wasn't real, and it was still right after graduation, where each friend had the hope of a promising future. Right as he was thinking this, he tripped over a toy truck and laughed… nope, it really had been five years.

As he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he heard Nathan and Haley mumbling, what seemed to be a serious conversation. He was just about to make a joke about them starting to resemble an old married couple, when he caught his name amongst the bickering.

"You haven't told him yet? Nathan!"

"No… I still don't get why I have to be the one to tell Luke. He's your best friend!" Haley rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by none other than the subject of their conversation, himself.

"Tell Luke what?" Both jumped in surprise and their heads turned to face Lucas.

"Uh…well… Luke, we've wanted… I mean…" Haley rolled her eyes at her husband, and decided to rip off the band-aid,

"Peyton is coming to the party, Luke."

His eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly felt as if his head was spinning. His hand moved to rub the crease in between his brows.

Haley set a comforting hand upon his shoulder, "Luke? Are you ok?" She glanced at Nathan concerned, when all she received for an answer was a weak nod, "We're really sorry we didn't tell you earlier, I mean we just found out a couple days ago… and well, you know Peyton, we never know if she'll actually show…"

Luke's thoughts drifted away from Haley's words of comfort, and started to focus on the blonde that he had been separated from for three years. The spinning increased as his nerves did as well, just as they had two years ago when he thought he was going to see her at his book signing. But this was different. Peyton was on her way here as he sat there. For all he knew, she could have already been in town, possibly even on her way to their house at that moment. He snapped back to Haley's voice.

"I really don't want you to be upset. And I don't want there to be any awkwardness." Luke's eyes reached hers, and he finally spoke,

"Haley, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little shocked, ya know?"

She nodded, "I know. But maybe all you can do is just think of Jamie… don't focus on Peyton."

Even as he agreed to this, he knew it would be impossible for his thoughts not to return to the image of Peyton for the rest of the day.

"I know, Hales. I mean it's been four years… I'm obviously over it." He tried to ignore the look, that his brother and best friend shared, which depicted that complete doubt they had in his statement. But, he continued to repeat the mantra in his head, which he had since the day he left Peyton…_ I don't need her, I don't need her, I don't need her_…

Yet, deep within him, he knew that it wasn't true. And what scared him was the nagging feeling that it never would be.

* * *

Peyton refilled the bowl of chips, which she had noticed sitting empty on the coffee table. She had grabbed it as soon as she had seen it as an opportunity to escape the room she was starting to feel more and more confined to. It wasn't that she didn't love the chance to catch up with old friends, of whom she missed more than she had even realized. It was that she wanted to escape their gentle stares, the ones that told her they all thought she was as fragile as uneven ice. She cringed when Bevin sat next to her, and placed her hand on her knee, making a comment about how strong Peyton was being for someone who was about to see the man everyone thought she would end up with.

Maybe it was the pitiable stares she kept receiving, maybe it was the awkward feeling she felt being in a town that was her home for eighteen years, or maybe it was knowing that he would be walking through the front door at any moment … whatever it was, she felt misplaced in her own skin.

"Peyton," She looked over at Haley who was smiling, and then she was enveloped in her arms for the third time that day, "It is so good to have you back."

Peyton relished in the safe feeling, she received in Haley's arms. It was a feeling Haley could always provide. As they pulled apart, she put on a smile, because she knew Haley needed to see one, "It's good to be back."

They both turned their heads as the front door closed, and it was in that moment that Peyton began to form the quickest exit plan. She tried to look around as fast as she could, because even before she saw him, she knew who had walked through that door. Her brunette friend squeezed her arm, and threw her a wink, just in time before he walked into the kitchen, holding a perfectly wrapped present.

His mouth went to speak as he saw Haley walking towards him, but his eyes shifted towards the other figure in his room and he suddenly lost the ability to form coherent words. Green eyes met blue and neither knew what to do next.

Luke felt Haley take the present from him, squeeze his shoulder reassuringly, and then she was gone; leaving the two blondes alone in the room… besides the excess amount of baggage that surrounded them.

She hated that she noticed how good damn gorgeous he looked in a simple white button down. He looked more mature and rugged, with a little scruff along his jaw, and the same piercing blue eyes, which were looking at her with apprehension.

Peyton walked a few steps forward, almost closing the gap between them, but she stopped before she reached him. Her heart was aching to touch him, just to able to confirm that he was really standing in front of her, but her mind thought otherwise.

She opened her mouth, "Luke…"

But before she could finish her sentence, his arms had wrapped around her, and she felt all of her defenses fall as she fit into the place she missed the most.

He held her tight, not ever really wanting to let her ago, afraid if he did, he would never be able to breath in that scent of hers that he missed so much. But as he heard footsteps, and a laugh he recognized behind them, he pulled back away, and she felt as though she had imagined the whole thing.

He couldn't look her in the eyes, as he felt another hand graze his back, and another pair of lips kiss his cheek, "There you are, babe." He tried not to grimace at the term of affection, and glanced up at Peyton, who looked as though she had just seen a ghost.

Peyton unconsciously took a step backwards as she watched the woman grab Luke's hand. The woman who she placed right away; the woman from the book signing. Her legs began to feel weak, and her senses were about to break, but she somehow got the strength to shake the girls hand as she introduced herself. She could finally put a name to the woman who she had began to dislike two years earlier.

She never really had liked the name Lindsey.

* * *

Luke sat around the table, outside by the pool. He was sitting with his girlfriend, who had her hand gently resting on his thigh. It was a gesture she usually did and he thought nothing of it, but he was highly conscious of its placement today. Everyone laughed at a story Brooke was telling, but his eyes found hers, and they were staring right back at him. They kept contact for a few seconds, until she turned her head and walked into the kitchen. Luke touched Lindsey's hand for a second and muttered something about needing to use the bathroom, but Lindsey barely acknowledged his statement, as she was completely fascinated with _the_ Brooke Davis.

He entered the kitchen, and found her leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. She looked deep in thought, and he couldn't help but take that moment to look at how beautiful she was. Her legs were shown off in her lavender spring dress, and her hair was longer and less curly, but it didn't matter, because no matter how she kept her hair, she never failed to look flawless.

Her head lifted and their eyes met once again.

"Hi." He stated softly.

"Hi." She provided a half-smile, and he moved next to her and leaned back against the counter.

"I'm surprised you came." He turned his head and looked at her, and was captivated by how soft her skin looked up close.

"Yea, well I figured that I had to come back eventually, right?" He responded with a nod, and they fell into a silence. No words seemed right, yet the silence became deafening.

"How's work?" He asked, and she could tell he was genuinely curious, and she hated that she loved that he still cared.

"I actually quit… two weeks ago."

"Wow… good for you. I always knew you were better than that job." She smiled at his words of encouragement and shrugged when he asked if she knew what she wanted to do now.

Peyton cleared her throat, "Lindsey seems nice." The words felt painful as they left her mouth, yet she needed to bring the other woman up… but then she realized that Lindsey was _the_ woman, and nothing felt right.

Luke felt tense as his girlfriends name was brought up, and he knew he should make some comment that would be part of their awkward small talk, but he couldn't.

Small talk and Peyton didn't seem to fit together.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"It's a free country." They both smiled immediately at the memories of those words.

"Why didn't you come to my book signing?" Her eyes went to his, and she let the blue draw her in. She wanted to lie, to say something to hurt him, to tell him that it was because she was over him. But she couldn't.

"I was there." Confusion set in as he began to replay that day, "But I saw you with Lindsey, and assumed you were with her. And… I… I don't know, I got freaked out and left."

His lids closed for a brief moment and he let out a sigh, "We weren't. We weren't together then."

Peyton's eyes filled with surprise, and he thought he recognized regret, but she looked away and let out a struggled whisper, "Well you're with her now, so I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?"

On reflex, his hand went to hers, and they both tried to ignore the shiver that skins contact made them feel.

"Of course it matters, Peyt." His voice was full of emotion… an emotion she ached for, but wouldn't let herself believe it.

Still, at the use of her shortened name, she felt tears begin to form, but wouldn't let them fall. Not in front of him.

Lucas let out a breath of air before speaking quietly, "It's always gonna be there, isn't it? You and me?"

Her heart was telling her to say yes, and she began to feel her defenses dissolve as he traced his thumb slowly along the creases in her palm. But as she lifted her head and her eyes saw Lindsey outside, reality set it and she pulled her hand out of his grasp, taking a step forward.

He felt the absence within his own palm immediately, and as her lids lifted to reach his, he saw the hurt that she held against him.

"No Lucas. You left whatever was between us inside a hotel room three years ago and now it's gone."

Both hearts broke at the words, and as Peyton walked out of the room and his life, Lucas thought he had never felt more alone.

* * *

Peyton allowed a smile to form on her face as she looked around the large room, which held a variety of paintings, photographs and drawings placed on the walls. She felt a sense of achievement she had not experienced since the opening of TRIC. As she tidied up the front desk area, and put the pamphlets in their respective holders, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to let it all sink in.

"Red Bedroom Remnants", Peyton's art gallery had opened the night before and had been quite a success. Artists from all around the Los Angeles area, ranging from high school students to single moms, had showed Peyton their art. And each of the pieces that had been selected touched a part in Peyton's heart. She didn't think she had ever been prouder of one thing.

It had been a year and a half since Jamie's birthday party, and ever since Peyton returned from that trip, it was as if a spark had been lit inside of her and she had began to draw once again. She realized that while she would always love music, a large part of her heart would always belong to art. After working in a record store to make some sort of income, she passed an empty building for lease on her way back to her apartment. It was the perfect size and in a great part of Los Angeles. With a little help from her Dad and Brooke, she was able to put everything together.

Her cell phone went off and she flipped it open, smiling wider at the name flashing across the screen.

"Hey B."

"P. Sawyer! Where are you? I am sitting at the table at the restaurant by myself, and I keep insisting to the waiter that I have someone meeting me, but he's starting to look at me like I am getting stood up."

"Oh my god, Brooke! I am so sorry, I was just going over some things at the gallery and I lost track of time, I'll be there in 10 minutes!"

Brooke laughed, "Ok, don't forget to lock up that fancy new gallery of yours though! See you soon!"

Peyton stepped outside into the warm spring air and smiled while breathing it in, and began walking down the busy street she had become so accustomed to in the last half year. With the realization that she was running very late, she turned down a side street, that she knew was a shorter way to the restaurant.

As she passed a bookstore that she stopped inside from time to time, she was drawn to a poster that was placed inside the window. As her mind processed what she was seeing, her footsteps froze.

Right in front of her green eyes, was a picture of the boy with the blue eyes she once knew so well. The boy that she had not talked to since the day of Jamie's birthday. She had heard through her friends that he had recently moved to New York to live with Lindsey. Haley called to tell her, and made sure to call her or email her almost everyday for two weeks after she had delivered the news, just to check in. Nathan had called a couple days after Haley had, and said he just wanted to talk to his best friend because he missed her, but she knew the real reason was that he wanted to make sure she wasn't about to jump in front of a bus. And in classic Davis fashion, Brooke bought her a bottle of tequila and demanded that they get wasted and point out all of Lindsey's noticeable flaws.

Peyton, of course, swore she was fine. She hadn't talked to Lucas since the party and was happy that he was doing well. She even had convinced herself that she was ok with it. Lucas could be happy with someone else, and so could she.

But looking at the picture of him right now, and feeling her pulse beat faster just by staring at a picture of the boy she once loved, was starting to cause doubts about how ok she really was. He looked older, more rugged, and if it was possible, he was more beautiful than the day she last saw him.

Fifteen minutes later, Peyton walked into the restaurant and spotted Brooke, who was waving her over.

"Ten minutes my ass! What the hell took you so lo…" Brooke's words caught in her throat, as Peyton set a copy of _The Comet_ on the table and sat down looking at Brooke expectantly.

"Oh…you walked past the bookstore, didn't you?" the brunette asked timidly, afraid of the anger that Peyton would feel towards being left in the dark about this particular tidbit of information.

"Were any of you going to tell me that he had a new book out?"

"Eventually… yes… no…" Brooke sighed, "I honestly don't know, Peyton. After how you were when we told you about his move with Lindsey, we didn't know how you would react to his book."

Peyton groaned and set her chin on her hand, "I was totally fine after you guys told me about Luke." Brooke's eyes widened, "I was!"

"Maybe you thought you got away with it, but Peyton, I am your best friend and I know when you are ok and when you're not. And you, my dear friend, were most definitely not ok." Her hand went across the table and patted Peyton's.

Peyton shook her head, "Well however I was, I don't get why you would keep this from me. I mean it's just a story, right?"

Brooke sighed, "All I'm gonna say is that, it wasn't completely coincidental that Lucas began to write this book right after he saw you a year ago. The rest is for you to figure out."

As Peyton entered her apartment later that night, she set the book down and walked away from it. She didn't want to want to read it. She wanted to not care. She wanted to be over it; to be over everything. So she changed her clothes, she brushed her teeth; she got into bed and turned off her light.

She wasn't going to read it. She didn't want to know why the books title was the same as her car. She didn't want to know why Lucas started to write right after they last saw each other. But she did want to move on.

And the first step to achieve that, was deciding not to read the book written by the boy she loved.

* * *

Lucas stepped into his apartment, while sorting through the mail absentmindedly. He had been at a local bookstore, doing a reading to kick off his tour, which was to start in a few weeks. As he walked into the kitchen and pulled out bottled water from the refrigerator, he heard the soft voices coming from the TV in the next room.

"Lindsey?" His voice called out as he walked into the living room, where he saw his girlfriend sitting on their large brown couch.

Her chocolate eyes looked up hesitantly, and he immediately noticed their red-rims, and moved to sit next to her, "What's wrong, babe?" he asked, placing his hand on her thigh.

Lindsey let out a struggled gasp, "I was looking through your pictures today, because I bought a new picture frame and wanted to find one to fill it." Her hand reached into the pocket of her jacket, "And I found this."

His eyes were immediately presented with the image of two blondes from many years ago. Peyton was sitting in the driver's seat, while Luke stood outside her car and was leaning down, kissing her. He remembered that Haley had captured it right away, and began to tear up when she showed them. Him and Peyton had both looked at each other with smiles in their eyes, trying to hold back from laughing at their friend's over emotional pregnancy hormones, which had apparently kicked in. Yet, they both made themselves a copy of the picture and it quickly became one of their favorites.

Luke's eyes moved up to Lindsey's and gave her a smile, while moving his hand to cup her cheek, "Linds, it's just an old picture. I have a whole box of them from high school."

She nodded, but pulled her face away from his touch, "It's not that, Lucas. It's what I found while looking at the picture." She looked up at him, seeing if he understood but it was clear from his squint that he did not, "You never told me that Peyton's car was a _comet_."

Lucas' whole body tensed, and he opened his mouth to respond, but he wasn't sure what to say, so all that came out was a remorseful, "Lindsey." She pushed his hand off her of leg and stood up, walking around to the space between the coffee table and TV, covering her eyes with her shaking hand. His brain wracked for the words to say that would ease this girls breaking heart. But what do you say to try and convince your girlfriend that the book you wrote wasn't about your ex-girlfriend? Every word his mind would conjure up was a lie.

Her voice was faint, "I always tried to move past the Peyton in your book. I kept telling myself that I was enough… that you always thought it was Peyton, but then you met me and it all changed." Their eyes connected and she jutted out her chin and spoke with disdain, "But I should have listened to the little part of me which told me that I was wrong… that part of your heart would always want Peyton Sawyer."

He flinched at her anger, but stood up and spoke, "I do not still want Peyton."

Lindsey released a bitter laugh, "Maybe you don't think you do, but you'll eventually realize it. And I'm not going to be here when you do."

It wasn't until then that his eyes saw the black suitcase sitting in the corner, and they slowly moved back to Lindsey's, who had tears streaming down her face. She quickly moved her hand to brush them away, and looked Luke directly in the eyes as she attempted to find confidence in the words she would speak.

"When I read your book, I was rooting for Lucas and Peyton. They both seemed to be so in love, and no matter what came between them, they always found each other again. It makes me really sad to know that you've been hiding from that." She pulled the picture out again and set it tenderly on the table, "try and stop hiding from it, Lucas."

Lucas stood in his spot as she gathered her belongings and took a step towards the door, but stopped when he called out, "I'm sorry."

Her body rose and slowly fell as she sighed, "I know." And with that she was gone. Leaving Lucas to collapse back into the couch; his face covered with his hands; the soft voices of the TV contributing to the conflict of emotions running through his body.

* * *

Peyton stared at the book that sat on her shelf, every day for four weeks. Every day, she walked into her apartment and stopped to look at the cover, which displayed an image of the river court, and had large letters producing his name. It was almost as if it haunted her; the fact that she didn't know what was written between the cover. She ached to know what he had written and understand why everyone else loved it so much.

But it wasn't until the seventh week that Peyton actually sat down and immersed herself into the words of the boy who held her heart.

It had been a long day. There was a mess up on shipments that caused Peyton's staff to work double time to sort everything out. And one of her artists had caused a huge scene when Peyton made a slight suggestion for his next piece of art. Needless to say, she was pissed off.

Walking through the door, she couldn't help but wish she had someone who was waiting for her; someone who would massage her feet as they lounged on the couch and she complained about her day; someone who would say all the right words to make it better. Of course, there was one particular boy who she wished was there, but she knew that it was never going to happen.

So when she walked past the book, cradling a pint of Ben and Jerry's chocolate ice cream, and a spoon; her resolve broke. Peyton saw the book and thought that it was as close as she was going to get to hearing his words so she grabbed it and settled into a chair; consuming the whole pint and reading the whole book in one sitting.

And she was right, that boy's words still had the power to make an awful day full of hope.

* * *

He stared at his phone for a full ten minutes before he whipped it open and scrolled down to her name. Taking another deep breath, he pressed the button and began dialing Peyton's number. It rang three times before it reached the voicemail, and Luke couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as he spoke.

"Hey Peyton. It's me… its Luke. I, uh, I just wanted to call and let you know that I'm in L.A for the weekend. And umm… yea, I guess I just wanted to see if you had time to meet up. Maybe we could get dinner or coffee, or something? I hope you can. Well anyways, give me a call." He hung up the phone and ran his hands through his cropped blonde hair. Letting him self-laugh at how nervous she still made him, even when it was just her voice mail.

He contemplated waiting in the hotel room until she called back, but he knew that that would be pathetic. All of his meetings were done for the day, so he grabbed his coat and walked out to explore the city. Lucas had never really been a city guy; small towns made him feel more at ease. But there was something about Los Angeles that he liked. He didn't know if it was the natural buzz everyone seemed to hold as they walked briskly down a city block, or the lights that lit up every street corner, or if it was the knowledge that Peyton liked it here.

He wondered where she was, and who she was with; trying to push away the jealously of the thought of her on a date. Which deep down, he knew was ridiculous, she was aloud to date. He himself had moved in with someone, but that didn't mean he enjoyed the thought of her at dinner with another guy.

As he walked down more blocks than he had kept track of, he began to realize that he honestly had no idea where he was. He didn't even have an idea of where he wanted to walk to, he just took of in a direction with the hope that it would lead him somewhere interesting. As his eyes wondered around the surrounding buildings, his eyes fell about a red sign and he swore his heart stopped beating. It couldn't be… no one had told him…

Red Bedroom Remnants sat directly across from him and Luke knew right away what it was.

As if a magnet, his feet moved towards it and he stopped in front of the window, staring into the original and unique collection of artwork that Peyton had acquired through the months. Luke smiled with pride as he thought of how she made this place by herself. And it was perfect. Everything about it screamed Peyton.

Then he saw her.

Long loose curls; fitted green v-neck shirt and ripped jeans that grabbed her in all the right places. He let himself watch her for a minute. She looked good. _Damn_ good. And it took everything he had not to pull open the door and pull her into his arms, but instead he quietly opened the door and took a step inside.

"Oh I'm sorry, we're actually about to…" Lifting her eyes, her words faltered, "close."

He smirked, "Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I'll just go then."

Her eyes were wide, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of the expression on her face, but he was slightly eased by the smile that appeared on her face, "Lucas Scott."

"Peyton Sawyer." She shook her head, and took a minute to take in him. He was wearing a simple button down blue shirt that brought out the color in his eyes and jeans. But he looked hot; so damn hot.

And before she knew it, he had moved in front of her and pulled her into his arms. She tightened her grip around his neck, and he smiled at the way she felt in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, as they pulled apart.

"I had some meetings," She squinted in confusion and he let himself notice how cute she looked when she was confused about something, "This umm… this producer actually wants to make Ravens into a movie."

Peyton's eyes grew wide and she hit his shoulder lightly, "Are you serious? Luke that's amazing!"

Luke laughed at her excitement and nodded, running his fingers through his hair, "Yea… it's all been kind of a whirlwind."

She nodded along with him and then a silence took over the two as they stared at the others eyes, taking everything they had missed about one another. Peyton felt her checks redden at the contact and looked away.

"How long has it been?" He whispered.

"Two years." She knew the answer so well. It had crossed her mind many times that the two of them had never been away from each other for this long.

He sighed and spoke, "Peyton, about last time…"

She held up her hands, "Stop Luke. I don't want to talk about the past."

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in the statement. What exactly did that mean? Did it mean that she didn't care about the past anymore?

"I'm just sick of thinking about it," She answered his thoughts as their eyes met, "I just want to have a night like we used to, you know? Before everything got in the way."

He nodded and agreed, "Well before we do that, I can't not congratulate you on this place." She blushed and he smirked, "Seriously, Peyton, its amazing."

She waved it off and moved back behind the counter, sorting papers, "It's what I'm supposed to be doing."

He took a few minutes and walked around the gallery, taking in each piece of art that Peyton had selected. They both moved around in quiet content; both secretly enjoying the presence of the other person whom they missed more than they wanted to admit. But it was always like that with them; always scared of how much they needed each other, in whatever way that was.

Minutes later, Peyton grabbed his hand and led him out of the gallery, "I think that we could both use a drink." He laughed and squeezed her hand a little tighter; a drink would definitely help ease the nerves coursing through his body.

They arrived at a small bar, with dim lights and soft music playing in the background. It screamed Peyton. He never could see her going out to the loud and bright clubs that L.A was known for. She was more of a secluded and quiet bar type of person.

"You come here often?" Luke asked as they sat on the barstools. Peyton nodded and waved over the Bartender, asking him for two shots of tequila.

"Yea, before Brooke moved back home, we would come here to get away from the _paparazzi_," They both laughed how amusing it was the Brooke was known among so many people, "And if you can't tell, the people here aren't exactly the biggest gossip column readers."

"You don't say." He looked at her, and leaned his arms atop the bar. She smiled and his insides lurched at how beautiful she was. Her hair fell in front of her face and he couldn't even think before he reached his hand out and moved it behind her ear, letting his fingers stay on her check more than necessary.

Peyton cleared her throat and looked away. She had no idea how after four years of being broken up, Lucas Scott could still make her feel things she had never found with anyone else. He still made her feel like a nervous high school girl who was scared of what everything between them meant, but it excited her in a way that she loved.

"So Haley told me about you and Lindsey," She proclaimed after downing their third shot. She placed her hand on his forearm, "I'm sorry, Luke."

He glanced down to his drink and smiled softly, "Yea, well we weren't meant for each other," Glancing back up to the blonde, "Me and her never were."

The way he was staring at her made her mind dizzier, along with the alcohol that was running through her body. She wanted to know what me meant by that; she wanted to ask him about _The Comet_; she also kind of wanted to press her lips against his. But she didn't do any of those. Instead she took another shot.

"What about you Miss. Sawyer? Any guy that's waiting for you at home?" He didn't want to sound like a jealous ex-boyfriend, but the thought of her with someone else wasn't something he wanted to imagine.

But Peyton snorted and shook her head, "Right."

He smirked, "Well why not?"

She shrugged, "I mean there's been some possibilities, but no one that…" He words dragged out and he started breathing heavier at the possibility of what she might say, "No one that was going to be the one."

They both smiled knowingly at one another; neither saying what they truly wanted to, but for now, those simple declarations were enough.

They spent the next couple hours drinking and laughing; telling stories from high school or stories that Haley and Nathan told the group about Jamie. Lucas watched her, mesmerized, as she swayed her body loosely to a song she loved. Peyton smiled at the excitement that was evident when Lucas talked about the possibility of Ravens becoming a movie.

It was perfect; it was the perfect way to meet again. There had been no awkward mentions of the botched proposal that had ruined their relationship, or of the hurt that Peyton felt when he was with Lindsey. For the moment, it was just Lucas and Peyton being Lucas and Peyton. And both had to admit that it felt right, that it felt like they should have never stopped having moments like this.

As they drunkenly stumbled down the block to her apartment, they wrapped their arms around each other. Lucas said it was so she didn't fall over her clumsy feet, but both knew it was something they both wanted. And when they reached her door, Peyton smirked and grabbed his hand, leading him inside her place.

It was the first time that night that they felt uncomfortable. Both knew what they wanted, but neither had any idea what to do about it.

While making awkward small talk about what a nice place Peyton had, Lucas's eyes feel upon a shelf that was complied of dozens of books. Yet the only two titles were _An Unkindness of Ravens_ and _The Comet._ His heart rate increased, she had read The Comet; he had wanted to ask her all night if she had.

Peyton followed to where he was looking and blushed, "I buy them every time I see them." She whispered.

He looked at her in awe and he swore he felt himself fall a little more in love with her.

This woman had been through so much in her life. She had defined most of his adolescence and now, his adult life as well. She had been there through almost every important moment in his life. And she was standing in front of him now, almost admitting that she still wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

He walked towards her and placed his hand against her cheek, while she closed her eyes and fell against his palm. Her eyes were still closed when he placed his lips softly against hers, in a gentle kiss that ended too quickly and left them both wanting more.

When she opened her eyes, he was staring back into her green with his blue and she recognized the look that lay in them. It was the look of need, and want, and love. While her mind was still fuzzy with alcohol, she knew what she was doing when she pulled his collar forward and their foreheads pressed against each other. She knew what she was doing when she pressed her lips against his, and made the kiss much deeper than the previous.

They moved back into her small apartment, Peyton unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it across the room. Lucas lifted her arms as he ridded her of the green shirt, leaving both of them breathless at the sight of the other.

Peyton knew what she was doing when she nodded her head as he looked at her for permission. And she knew what she was doing when she clutched onto him tightly as they reached their point.

She knew what she was doing. It was scary and a little unbelievable.

But she knew also knew that it felt right

Luke opened his eyes to find he was alone in her bed. He sat up and searched the room, but she wasn't there and he couldn't help but worry. He was afraid she was going to regret it, yet he didn't know how that would be possible. The night was amazing; it was everything he remembered it to be and more. They were perfect for each other and they were meant for each other. But he couldn't help but be afraid that Peyton might not see that.

Rising from the bed, he pulled on his boxers and made his way into the small living room where he found Peyton sitting on a chair in the corner, looking out her window.

She had thrown on some sleep shorts and a little tank top, and her hair was in a loose ponytail, but he thought she had never looked more beautiful than right then.

"Hey." He spoke gently. She turned her head and smiled, and it was then that he noticed that she was clutching onto _The Comet_.

"Hi." She spoke quietly as he sat atop the windowsill. Luke pointed towards the book,

"You read it."

She nodded, "Yea. You know I tried not to, in fact I bought it and walked past it everyday for seven weeks before I caved."

He let out a struggled laugh, "Why?"

"Because I was scared." Her eyes met his and she took a breath, "I was scared that if I read it, I would never move past you, Luke. It was already hard before that." Tears formed in her eyes before she could stop them; she really didn't want to cry in front of him.

"Peyton…"

"It hurt so much when I woke up in that hotel room and you weren't there," Luke looked down at his hands, "Do you know that I sat in there all day, trying to convince myself that you were just out getting food or something? It wasn't until 8 that night that I got the courage to leave."

His heart broke at the sight of her crying and he hated that he caused the tears.

"I wanted to marry you Lucas. I wanted to so bad." She closed her eyes and shook her head, "I should have said yes."

Luke's heart grew at her words, "I shouldn't have left."

They looked at each other and couldn't help the smile that became etched on their faces.

"God we are such idiots." Peyton laughed out, and Lucas chuckled.

"You can say that again." He grabbed his hand and placed it within his, tracing imaginary designs on her palm.

"Luke?" He lifted his head at her whisper, "What does this all mean?"

He smirked, "It means that I don't ever want to be an idiot when it comes to you ever again. I want to be with you, Peyton. And as much as I wish I hadn't left that hotel room, every moment since then has just made me realize how much I need you in my life and how no one can ever replace you."

Her lips were on his before he could even take a breath, but he wasn't complaining. He pulled her in tightly, his hand on the back of her neck; both of them moaning at the contact.

"God, I love you so much." Her words were soft, and if Lucas wasn't listening he probably wouldn't have heard them, but he did. He heard them.

"I love you too, Peyton." They leaned their foreheads against one another's and sighed in content, "This is forever, you know?"

She pulled back smiling, and looked right into his eyes, "Trust me baby, I know."

**A/N – Review! Review! Review! I want to know what you thought!**


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